I worked one summer at the Buffalo National River park, and twice did a float trip down the river to scout for navigational hazards (mostly downed barbed wire fences). We camped overnight on sand bars each time, and waking up at dawn each morning in the middle of a fog was quite the experience. We saw only a few people, as we were on the upper river where a lot more portaging is required during the summer. The beer-swilling rednecks were further downstream where they can just float and, you know, swill beer.
